On-chip systems comprise components, or intellectual property (IP) blocks, communicating via an interconnect network on-chip.
These components handle data processing functions and generate data traffic with generally different characteristics and constraints.
For example, one application may require a bandwidth greater than a minimum bandwidth, and another application may require a latency less than a maximum latency. Consequently, an interconnect network on-chip needs to offer service guarantees for all the components included in the on-chip system.
As a general rule, monitoring the quality of service on a network should provide a means of best managing the existing resources according to the constraints of the network.
For example, a link optimized for priority data traffic can allow lower priority data to be transported when a portion of the link bandwidth is available.
For a user, the service quality, in the context of component operation, needs to enable a defined or predictable behaviour to be provided. For example, a reader of data recorded in DVD format needs to be capable of decoding the video and sound components of a film so as to restore them in a fluid manner.